Combs recognized by Palmer Council for years of dedicated service

PALMER — Linda Combs won the Golden Heart Lifetime Achievement Award from the Palmer City Council last Tuesday. Surrounded by friends, family, and former colleagues, the tireless community servant was honored for her time on the Palmer City Council among other countless areas in the community where her fingerprints can be found.

“One of the very first things I can remember that she brought up at the Council was the fact that there was a customer service lacking in the Palmer government. Her legacy is to be sure that all of the people in the community of Palmer are treated nicely with love and kindness and understanding and to listen to them and present their views at City Council,” said Mayor Edna DeVries. “To me, that reaching out to others and including everybody really is her legacy more so than any kind of brick and mortar.”

Linda Combs helped create the Golden Heart Award as part of the Palmer City Council. It has been awarded since 2014 to vital community members like Leisa Carrick, Denise Statz and Stan Guthrie, among others. Linda and her husband, John, who served as Palmer Mayor from 2004 to 2010, were in attendance to celebrate with many of the City Council members who have become like a family to them.

“She truly shows an interest and concern about something, you know it’s genuine. She’s still involved in the community and looking to better things. She’s not doing it for her self or for personal gain, she’s doing it because she wants to leave Palmer a better place and that is the most compelling thing about her,” said City Councilman David Fuller.

Combs has been involved in a number of organizations throughout the City of Palmer for decades. As John was coaching basketball, Linda began the first booster club at PHS in an effort to raise money for new jerseys. In the early 1990’s, she spearheaded the effort to organize Grad Blast for PHS graduates.

Combs shifted the focus of her activism from students to seniors more recently. Combs was on the Hospice Foundation board, and currently sits on the Governor’s commission on aging and has since become more active at the senior center.

“Pretty much, if it’s got a senior stamp on it I’m probably going to be there,” said Combs.

Linda served on the City Council from 2011-2017.

She lost last fall’s election to a field that included her nephew’s wife, Sabrena Combs. Despite losing her council seat, Combs is still active in the community, advocating for seniors’ rights. Linda Combs still serves on the Governor’s council on aging. Combs co-sponsored the resolution to create the Golden Heart Award with Councilman Richard Best. Best started on the Council when John Combs was deputy mayor, and quickly took to his tutelage.

“I kind of got to groom underneath him,” said Best.

Best learned from the Combs’ family as friends before John was elected Mayor and Linda was elected to a seat on the Council. She was deputy Mayor in 2017. Linda never expected when she and Best created the award that it would one day be awarded to her. Combs described it as ‘mind-blowing.’

“Seeing how they engage in the community and how deep their activity level ran so you learned early to be involved and engaged in so many different things,” said Best.

Mayor DeVries and Linda have become fast friends serving on the City Council together. DeVries asked the Combs’ family if they wanted to celebrate before or after the meeting, and sped through their business to be able to spend more time with the Combs’ family celebrating the work of Linda. The Combs’ celebrated their anniversary the day after Linda was presented with the award, on Feb 14.

“I never really believed my name would be on that list because I know who is on that list,” said Combs. “It feels wonderful to have that kind of recognition from your colleagues it’s... kind of validating.”